Fire Starting – Hand Drill
Filed under
Survival Skills
Using a hand drill is one of the oldest and simplest methods of starting a fire. This method is probably best suited for dry climates, as it will take some work to rotate the spindle enough to create an ember.
Follow these steps to use the Hand Drill Method
- Make sure you have a tinder bundle prepared for when you get an ember.
- Cut a V-shaped notch in the a board, then start a small depression with your knife tip. Set a piece of bark, or a big leaf underneath the notch to catch your ember.
- Place the spindle, which should be about two feet in length, in the depression and while maintaining a good amount of downward pressure, roll the stick between the palms of your hands, running them very quickly down the stick.
- Keep doing this until the spindle tip glows red and you get an ember.
- Tap the board to get the ember onto your leaf or piece of bark, then transfer it over to your tinder bundle and blow it until you get a flame.
A very good method but I think you shoud use a bow to spin the spindle
There is much talk about this technique but no one ever shows how long it takes to make an ember. Also, it tears your hands up. Why are you not showing the use of a bow?
on tv they make it look like seconds but it could take all day just to get the wood to smoke.
ive tried and all i can get is smoke and bloody hands. i think its to humid here. the only way i got it to work was by chucking the stick in my screw gun. and even then it took about three minutes.